Banana-crate.



C. Q. C. LEIGH.

BANANA CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, rats.

1 37298 Patented Nov. 20, 1 917.

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CHARLES o, QgI EIGIL-I; or on xcaeo, ILnINoIs; esslenon TO; LEIGH BANANA cnsn COMB-ANY, or o IcAeo, IImINoIs, A CQREORATION. or ILLINOIS.

BANANA-CRATE Patented Nov. 2o. I917.

ap licatio fileese tem r so. 1915. serial-No. 5.3;230.

To all 'zghomit may concern Be it knownthat I, CHAnLnsQ. G. LEIGH, a citizen of the United State, and a resident of the cityof Chicago, county of Cook. and State of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Banana- Grates, ofwhich the" followingis a specifi cation. I My invention relates to crates and packages for protecting bananas during shipment from one location to another, andmore particularly to adevice of this character wherein abunch ofbananas may be-inserted within and securedto afiexible envelop and theUlatter suspended from the staves or hoops of asuitable protecting crate or cage constructed of wood or other rigid or semirigidnnaterial; i

In the manufacture of. crates for the transportationof bananas andother fruit, it has been the practice to form" the envelop-0r bag, in which thebananas are inserted, of burlap, canvas, dril1ing,-or; other similar coarsely Woven fabric, and to secure. this bag so made within a partiallycompleted cage by disposing the upper edge or mouth of the bagbetweenthe twoupper hoops or between one upper hoop and the upper end portions of the staves, after which the staves, hoops and bag are tightly and firmly fastened togetherby meansof transverse I nails or brads driven through the same.

With the construction just described; it was practically impossible to repair either the bag or the cage without removing the upper hoops which caused the damaging of said hoops, and the upper portions of the staves, and not infrequently tearing the bag, so that the cost of material and labor necessary to repair a crate would almost equal the cost of a new crate.

- My invention has for its principal objectthe construction of a banana shipping package wherein the bag and the cage are so assembled that they may be readily separated for the purpose of repairing either the one or the other and then reassembled without difliculty. Another object of my invention is the provision of a shipping crate wherein the bag and cage are so constructed. that they may be finished separately and then connected together to form a complete crate. Still another object of my invention is the provision of a suitable metal ring in the mouth of the bag whereby the latter is adapted tobe-retained in its opened position at all times and to facilitate assembly and which metal ring adds materially to the stability'ofjthe completed structure. Other objects of my invention will be obvious to others skilledin the art, after an understanding is had of thedrawings, and I prefer to accomplish the divers objects of my invention by the means and; in the manner hereinafter set forth.

Reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a partof' this specification, it will beobserved,

Figure l'is a vertical side elevation of my improved banana shipping crate.

Fig. Q'lS a top plan ofla fragmentary portion-thereof, and U V Fig. I 3 is a transverse vertical section thereof 'takenon-line 3 -3, Fig. 2,- looking in the directionindicated by the arrows and drawn to an exaggerated scale. I

It will be-seen the crate preferably comprises a cage portion that is constructed of a plurality of hoops 5, 5, that are spaced'apart and comiectedto oneanother by a plurality of elongated staves or slats-6, 6,.that are socured to the outer circumferencesof said hoopssi-ibstantially parallel to each other and to-the-axis of the-crate. These staves may be either single or double. staves, but I prefer to employ the lattorto secure additional strength. Suitable supplementary hoops 7 7, are securedexternally to the upper and lower ends of the staves for the pur pose of reinforcing, strengthening and retaining the same in shape. The upper inside hoop 5 is not secured to the extreme end of the staves but its upper edge is spaced a slight distance below the end edges of the staves for the purposes to be hereinafter described.

The bag or sack 8 that is adapted to be inserted inside the cage thus formed for con taining the bunch of bananas is preferably constructed of burlap, duck, drilling or other similar woven fabric of a coarse mesh, and the lower edge thereof is brought together and tied to form an inverted conical or a funnel-shaped bottom 9.

The cover member 10 for closing the upper open end of the bag comprises a strip of material similar to that of which the bag body is formed and is sewed or stitched thereto preferably in the following mannerz-The cover strip is inserted inside the 25 into the stavesfi and outer hoop 7 for the bag until the upper edges of boththe bag and cover register, and these edges are then folded inside upon themselves to form a hol- 10W or tubular'plait 11 by stitches 12. 'A'

metal ring 13 is inserted in the plait 11 ring 13 Will necessarily be a. split ring ,in

order that the insertion may be properly made. The ring 13 isrof a diameter corresponding With the diameter of the hoop 5 and serves notonly as a means for assisting in securing thebag in position Withinthe cage, but also retains the mouth of the bag in open position at all times and adds to the strength of the crate. 1 :lni assembling, the bag is inserted bottom first into the cage until the ring 13 andplait 11 surrounding the same, rest; upon the shoulder formed by the upper edge of hoop 5*? and the upper portion ofthe staves 6. Suitable staples, hooks orother similar ele: ments 15'are then driven through theplait purpose of securing the bag in position at the top of the cage. After being thus assembled, the bag is preferably tied to the. hoops 5 by means ofjcords or ropes 16 and, as the bag is of a smaller diameter than the diam: eter, of the cage throughout its body portion, these suspension cords prevent the bag striking the -hoops andstaves of said cage. In

locating these cords'or ropes 16, I prefer to place them on the hoops adjacent the staves for the purposeofprotecting the same from "Wear and-the rough usage to Which the crate is subjected in handling and shipment, r

Whenever it is desired to remove the bag for thepurpose of repairing either the bag or the crate, the cords 16are disengaged Contest! this patent may be obtained for 3 Washington, 0.

from the hoops and the staples 15 withdrawn, when the bag and crate may be separated Without injury 'to-either.

While I have illustrated and described certain specific means for carrying out my invention, it, of course, Will be obvious that various modifications and refinementsthereof are possible Without materially departing and I do not necessarily limit myself tojthe precise structure shown and, described.

lvhe lzolaimi iS f 7 v -A- crate comprising longitudinal staves and transverse connecting hoops, an interiorly disposed supplemental hoop spaced from the top .of the crate, a-separate ring, means holding-the ring Within the crate and immediately 1 above the, supplemental hoop, a flexible bag suspended; from said ring, the topportion of ,the bag being passed'under and over-saidring, afclosurefor the mouth of said bag vcomprising aseparate strip of flexible material having a folded back portion at, its, lower, end disposed around said ring and within the top portion of the bag around-saidring, anda line of stitching as V passing through [the superposed portion of State oflllinois, this QAth day of September, a

.WM-HAR DE CH LM N five cents each,",hyhafldressingthe: ftfioiiin is sioneriof Patents 

